The dramatic crash of a turboprop in Taiwan is the latest in a string of deadly plane accidents in Asia. What's behind the pattern?

Officials on Wednesday confirmed that at least 31 people died when the French-made ATR-72 operated by TransAsia spiraled out of control shortly after takeoff from Taipei, clipped a bridge, and crashed into a river —all of which was captured on dramatic video taken by passersby. The plane was bound for the Kinmen Islands off Taiwan and was carrying several groups of Chinese tourists. Another 17 passengers were still missing and feared dead. There were 15 confirmed survivors.

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The crash in Taiwan is the latest in a string of aviation disasters in Asia, and the second fatal event in just six months for the low-cost Taiwanese carrier. The question for investigators now is, is this string of disasters a coincidence, or symbolic of something deeper?

In this case, we may know the specifics sooner rather than later. Air traffic controllers reportedly captured the pilot declaring an emergency because of an engine flame-out. And rescuers have recovered the "black box" flight data recorders, increasing their hopes of swiftly discovering what caused the plane to crash.

The plane was virtually brand new and the weather conditions were not unusual.

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In the meantime, we're faced by these startling facts: The plane was virtually brand new, having entered service last year, and the weather conditions were not unusual. Last July's TransAsia accident also involved an ATR-72, but an older model, and it crashed while attempting to land in a heavy downpour. An investigation into that crash is ongoing.

And while it may just be coincidence, the fact that most of the previous year's passenger fatalities in aviation have occurred in Asia or on an Asian aircraft have led some safety experts to question whether the level of oversight has kept pace with the rapid growth of air travel in the region.

Late last year, AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed midway through a flight from Surabaya to Singapore, killing all 162 people on board. In July, all 298 aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 perished when the 777 was shot down by a surface to air missile over Ukraine. And 239 people on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 are presumed dead after the plane vanished without a trace on March 8.

With the first anniversary approaching, Malaysian authorities recently declared MH370 an "accident"—not a declaration made because they learned anything new, but a mostly symbolic gesture to allow families of the victims to collect insurance payments.